Heat advisory, extreme heat watch issued for Sagadahoc County

The National Weather Service in Gray issued a heat advisory for Sagadahoc County and nearby areas that will run July 1 from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. EDT, and it extended an extreme heat watch through July 2 at 8 p.m. for the same region. The agency’s hazard map, last updated Tuesday at 2:54:36 p.m. EDT, also listed an extreme heat warning, putting the county under multiple alerts as the hot stretch begins.

Hazardous heat and severe storms are expected to begin Wednesday, peak Thursday and continue into Friday. That timing will put pressure on employers with outdoor crews, municipal public works teams and anyone planning field work or road projects, especially with heat and humidity potentially making it feel as hot as 110 degrees in parts of Maine.

Sagadahoc County had 36,699 residents in the 2020 Census and an estimated 37,979 on July 1, 2025, and 26.1% were age 65 or older, according to Census Bureau QuickFacts. Older adults are among the people most vulnerable during extreme heat, especially if they live alone, lack air conditioning or have limited access to transportation.

Cooling centers can provide temporary relief during dangerous heat. Heat-related illnesses occur more frequently when temperatures reach the mid-to-upper 80s and hotter, a threshold the region is expected to cross as the advisory takes hold. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s HeatRisk Dashboard lets residents enter a ZIP code to get personalized heat forecast information and protective actions for their location.